Herd lands three-star quarterback Long with hometown roots

With two simple words plenty familiar to the Marshall fan base, JacQai Long created quite the buzz on social media. “WE ARE,” written in all caps was how Long announced he had committed to play football at Marshall. Long is a three-star quarterback who most recently played at Archbishop Hoban in Akron, Ohio, but has since enrolled at Hurricane High, his hometown school. His decision, though announced Saturday afternoon, was made earlier this summer while attending a recruiting camp at Marshall. When Thundering Herd coach Charles Huff relayed the news to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Clint Trickett that day, there was an evident joy amongst them as Trickett ran off the field to congratulate Long on his decision. Long continues the trend of second-generation Marshall football players who have followed in their fathers’ footsteps to play for the Thundering Herd. With offers from several other Division I schools, Long said the decision felt natural. “It wasn’t a hard decision, it was the right decision for me,” Long said at a recent 7-on-7 event hosted by the MSAC. After a year at Archbishop Hoban in Akron, Ohio, Long will play his final season of high school ball at Hurricane. Jerrald Long, JacQai’s father, was a wide receiver for the Thundering Herd. He caught 67 passes for 862 yards and eight touchdowns in two years at Marshall. His son, though, is more keen on throwing the ball than catching it. Long, who is listed at 6-foot-2 inches and 200 pounds, helped Hoban finish as the Ohio Division II state runner-up with a 14-2 record last season. He completed 132 of 201 passes for 1,913 yards and 15 TDs in an offense featuring running back Lamar Sperling, Ohio’s 2022 Mr. Football. The experience he gained by playing in Division II in Ohio, Long said, only stands to benefit him as he is reintroduced to prep sports in the Mountain State. Before moving to Ohio, Long played at Capital High School in Charleston. “It’ll help a lot obviously on Friday night, and then once I get the pads on and get in a game setting, you’ll see a difference,” Long said. “I really made some good friends and it was like family up there ... but it’s good to be back home.” Long held offers from Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Austin Peay, Columbia, East Carolina, Fordham, Kent State, Maine, Massachusetts, Memphis, Mercer, Miami (Ohio), Marshall, Montana State and Toledo. He plans to major in business finance.